In cigarette packing, two superimposed, parallel rows of packets of cigarettes are fed to a cartoning machine for producing packages or cartons, each containing a group of two superimposed rows of packets of cigarettes; and, upstream from the cartoning machine, the packets of cigarettes fed to the cartoning machine are normally fed through one or more operating units (typically for heat-shrinking the plastic overwrapping of the packets of cigarettes), one of which usually comprises two parallel, feed channels separated by partition members and each engaged by a respective row of packets.
Transferring the rows of packets to the feed channels is a highly delicate operation, during which the two rows of packets may shift out of line, thus creating processing problems downstream from the operating unit, and/or the packets may undergo damage caused by improper insertion inside the channels.